Mainsheet on-line
Back copies of Mainsheet are available at the NYC website.
Go to www.nyc.org.au and select Newsletters from the
Club Information Menu.

OOD duties coming up?
Why not check out the current OOD guidelines for members
available from the NYC web site?
Go to www.nyc.org.au and select Club Documents from the Club
Information Menu, then choose Club Policies and Prccedures.
There you will find the latest information on Officer of the
Day Duties.

COMMODORE’S REPORT
The sailing season is progressing well with some very enjoyable weather and great
sailing conditions on the river. We are two thirds of the way through both our
consistency and championship heats for the 2010/11 seasons and so we should all be
sailing pretty consistently now, having ironed out the glitches and settled into
successful routines. A few brand new boats have appeared at the club over the Xmas
New year period associated with National Championships and I hope they are
providing some new challenges and many rewards for their skippers.
On the topic of Championships, the National125 Nationals were held at Esperance over
the New Year and it was great to see 5 NYC boats amongst the fleet of 34. Well done
to all and in particular to Claire Smallwood and Hayley Gilling, the best placed of the
NYC boats. Having grown up and learnt to sail in Esperance, proved a significant advantage!
The Tornado National Championships were also sailed in early January and the results prove that sailing on
the Swan River must be the key to success. NYC boats took out the first four places overall and this was
followed up with NYC boats in 6th 9th 11th and so forth. Hearty congratulations go to Brett Burvill for
successfully defending his national title.
At NYC, we had a quiet New Year period not hosting any State of National Championships this year and
giving our volunteers a well earned rest. The clubhouse however was very busy in the run up to Christmas and
we had an unprecedented number of functions held at the club. These functions, many of which were return
bookings, make a very significant contribution to club finances and provide additional funds to supporting sail
at NYC. Thanks go to our Bar Manager, Lee Crisp, for her efforts through this extremely busy time and to our
Managing Secretary, Alison Robinson, for managing the peak work load while keeping the club running. It
was a huge effort for all concerned and a very successful period for the club
On our own social side, we enjoyed a terrific evening last Sunday night at the Championship dinner and
associated fund raising for the flood appeals. We had over 100 people staying on for a great dinner and very
enjoyable music. A wonderful night that raised over a $1000 for the WA and Queensland Flood Appeals.
Our new bosun Johnny Delamotte is settling into his new job, learning a bit more
about the operation of NYC and has now moved into the on site Bosun’s
accommodation. Don’t forget if you see him around to say hello and make him
welcome. In the meantime, even though we have a new bosun in place, please be very
vigilant with locking up and never assume that someone else will be shutting the gates.
Juliann Lloyd-Smith

the Perth ran out of 6" war shots, her gun crew continued to fire practice rounds
at the Japanese until they were forced to abandon ship. the Houston's secondary battery
began firing phosphorus star shells when they ran out of HE ammo. Rarely in naval
history has anybody fought so hard in the face of such impossible odds. Yet today the
Houston is largely forgotten. I hope the Aussies haven't similarly forgotten the Perth".
Quoted by an unknown American after the battle.

February 2011

Page 5

USS Houston
Over the previous years when I was working with Chris Waldie, I got to know several families of the USS Houston CA-30 group. I
wanted to share some news with our fellow NYC members about how important the HMAS Perth Memorial Regatta has been to
people on the other side of the globe.
- Shauna McGee Kinney

As members of NYC, we may not know how important the annual HMAS Perth Memorial Regatta has been to
the USS Houston CA-30 families on the other side of the globe. The families are spread all around the United
States and get much of our news by email, our website and a handful of programs mailed to the US last year.
Through NYC's combined effort with HMAS Perth Survivors Association to locate and organize HMAS Perth
survivors and their families, we've been able to help get Trudy S - the wife of a USS Houston Survivor back in
touch with HMAS Perth survivor - Arthur Bancroft and with Arthur's family. USS Houston CA-30 families
were delighted to hear about Arthur Bancroft's book, "Arthur's War" and to see pictures of "Arthur, Robby,
Freddy and Norm" from last year's event.
Our event has made it easier for people like Tara P from the ACT to get in touch with other HMAS Perth and
USS Houston families to record history in an audiobook. Tara writes to all of us - members, HMAS Perth
families and USS Houston families,
" [I am the] granddaughter of Charles Thompson Jackson WIREMAN 24722 and HMAS Perth 1 both of
whom have been missing since 1 March 1942 I am creating an audiobook about Perthâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s soulful life in my
granpaâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s honour.
I have the 1934 International Code of Signals, and have translated 'ORDERS' into radio [and visual when at
night] code as part of my project.
The work focuses on the healing and life of her gallant company and is designed to assist afterbears to
understand her life and the unfortunate necessity of war.
It is a difficult subject to research, but I have most of the missing pieces. "
Our own Jim Marriott wrote a moving article about the Australian flag he flies on his boat. Jim's grandfather
was on the last completed sail on the HMAS Perth before she was dispatched for her fateful last battle. The
importance of service and sacrifice that all veterans made is important to so many people, all around the globe
and locally.
Several family members from both the USS Houston and HMAS Perth wrote about how moving it has been to
see the news from the HMAS Perth Memorial Regatta. NYC has received details about the USS Houston CA30 and Next Generations reunion, guest speakers, scholarship and memorial to share. The younger generations
have set up websites and FaceBook groups to help share news.
The USS Houston CA-30 reunion will be held in Houston - Texas from Thursday 3 March to Saturday 5
March. A service will be held at the USS Houston CA-30 Memorial in Sam Houston Park at 2 PM (US Central
Time) on Saturday 5 March.
If you would like to get in contact with the USS Houston CA-30 Survivor's Association and Next Generations,
please contact
R Dana Charles, contact@usshouston.org, http://www.usshouston.org/ and a phone number is available upon
request.=

February 2011

Page 6

Jims Story—HMAS Perth’s Last Mission
The boys packed their bags and reported for duty. Their girlfriends and wives did not hear from them for three
months. Then word came through that Reggie Wilson was seen at Pymont getting on to a barge. Within hours,
the girls were down at the dock where the Queen Mary was tied up to No.1 Naval buoy. They waved and
whistled, blew kisses and Fran (Reggie’s girlfriend) lifted her blouse and jumped up and down. As he stood by
the railing, Reggie was slapped on the back by his mates while receiving shouts and wolf whistles from the
rest of the battalion. The very next day the crowd on the shore swelled as word got around about the boys,
much to the annoyance of the army.
On the third day the mood was subdued and sombre, an air of confusion set in as no troops came on deck to
catch a glimpse of their women folk. There was something wrong. Had the ship been attacked? She now only
had two funnels as opposed to three before. Slowly the realisation spread that the ship on No.1 naval buoy was
not the Queen Mary, but the Queen Elizabeth. It was the 13th of July, 1941. The 105th Light Armoured
Division (LAD) had already sailed for the Middle East with three thousand men, some never to return. On the
wharf, the Chaplain joined with the women, openly weeping for the loss of life?. My grandmother Elen, stood
trembling at the dock until she was coaxed away onto a bus by WRAN officers. Till the day of her death, she
could not recall how she got home.
HMAS Perth escorted the ship (Queen Mary) safely to Alexandria, Egypt, where she docked. Months passed,
and the news from Europe was not good. Successful landings in Greece were followed by repeated retreats. In
October 1941, the last attempted evacuation of Allied troops in Greece was undertaken. James George
Marriott was amongst them. He was wounded badly, unable to walk, but carried by his mates to a waiting
rescue destroyer, the HMAS Napier. The HMAS Napier was carrying the mail for the Australia shore division
when she was diverted to the evacuation.
Jim was not well, having a shrapnel wound to the lower abdomen. He was not expected to last through the
night, As Stuka dive bombers were harassing the Allied soldiers’ retreat, the ship narrowly escaped being hit
several times. Reggie was Jim's mate and asked if there was anything he could do. Jim replied "Take me up on
deck, I want to see the sun go down". A chair was nicked from the officers mess and Jim was made
comfortable under the aft gun flash guard. He was given a cup of tea and a parcel wrapped in brown paper.
After Jim sipped on the tea, a sailor helped him open the parcel. It revealed an Australian flag tapestry that
Elen had woven and a note from her saying “to bring it (sic flag) home with him, and that just because he was
at war, it was no excuse for getting out of mowing the lawn”. Jim clutched it to his chest and fell to sleep.
Later, a sailor woke Jim so he could see the sun go down. Staring blankly out towards the West Jim yelled to
the sailor "There, what’s that there?!". The sailor could see nothing. Jim blurted out “A dark shape, thin and
upright with a person on it with a cap. Submarine!!”. The sailor ran to report this to the captain, who then sent
flags to the flotilla commander on a British cruiser. Still, no one could see the dark shape. The Pommy captain
refused to send a search vessel that was based on the “say-so of a wounded and delirious Australian soldier”.
That night three ships were torpedoed and sunk with the loss of 258 lives. Jim survived the night, still
clutching the tapestry flag and eventually found himself the guest of the captain on the rear deck at sunset with
tea and biscuits, and a sailor at each side in case he saw any more dark shapes. (wot sailors being a suspicious
lot n'all)
Jim was transferred to the HMAS Perth for the return trip to Sydney, arriving in early January 1942, and
disembarked with flag in hand, and into the arms of his wife Elen, and ten-year-old son Bruce. (Dad)
As we all know, the HMAS Perth was lost in action in the Sunda Strait in March 1942, along with the USS
Houston. Both had faced overwhelming odds against the Japanese.
Pop gave me an Australian flag when I first began sailing at the age of eight. He said "keep this with you and
you will always be safe". So to Pop and Granny, the boys of the 105th LAD embarked on the HMAS Perth,
and the USS Houston, I fly the flag on my yacht I-HYPO---. Lest we forget.

February 2011

Page 7

Storage Survey – UNKNOWN OWNERS
Over the last few months a survey of the Club’s storage facilities has been carried out. The result has identified thirty six boats, dinghies, trailers and sailboards whose owners are unknown or the Club has minimal information on them. Included in this edition of Mainsheet is a list of boats, trailers, etc. where the Club is requiring additional information. If you are one of the “unknown owners” please contact the Club Office or myself so that the Club’s records can be brought up to date.
As mentioned in previous issues of Mainsheet, it is essential that the boat’s name and sail number be placed on
all boats, trailers, etc. stored at the Club. Club By-law 5.3 states "The Name and Sail number of a boat entered on the Club "Boat Register" shall be clearly marked in letters not less than 50mm in height, on
the outside of the hull and on any associated boat Trailer and/or Tender." A sailboard is considered as a
boat and must be identifiable. Boats, trailers, etc. that can’t be identified will be removed and locked away
until they are claimed by the owners or, if not claimed, may be disposed of by the Club as ABANDON.
Don Mullaley, Club Storage Officer.
NEDLANDS YACHT CLUB (Inc).
STORAGE REGISTER of UNKNOWN OWNERS.
Store
Loc

Boat Name

Class

Section

Sail No

DPI/
Series No

Boat Id

Notes

A-Cat Compound
A017

TBA

Hobie 16

Hob

Trailer Reg.1TCN.005

A022

PeeWee

Hobie 16

Hob

A033W

Hobie

Hobie 16

Hob

Trailer Reg. TFG.832

A067

TBA

Hobie 16

Hob

Trailer Reg. 7UE.516`

A071

Freedom

Windrush

14’ Cat

ABANDON

A090

TBA

Hobie 16

Hob

A091

TBA

Hobie 16

Hob

Trailer Reg. 8WP.428

76451

1059

ABANDON

101613

D-Flying 11 Shed
D151t

TBA

MJ

MJ

Yellow timber hull

D155m

TBA

MJ

MJ

Varnished timber hull

VJ

Opm

Opm

E-Manly Junior Shed
E182t

Zero

F-Safety Boat Shed
F230t

TBA

Skate/VJ

F

Doggett 247

Power Boat

Turquoise Green Hull
N.A.

39343/-

Run About. Aluminium hull

G&T-Cruiser hardstanding
G295

Unknown trailer

SS22

Cru

No trailer Reg.

G295

Unknown trailer

SS18

Cru

No trailer Reg.

T310L

Tornado trailer

Tornado

Opc

Trailer reg. 6UR.635

T311L

Tornado trailer

Tornado

Opc

Trailer reg. 1TEA.132

T312L

Tornado trailer

Tornado

Opc

No trailer reg.

February 2011

Page 8

Store
Loc

Boat Name

Class

Section

Sail No

DPI/
Series No

Boat Id

Notes

J-Tender Shed
J

Jaundice

tender

Cru

35322/-

Yellow hull

J

Fish Hunter HF280

tender

Cru

Inflatable

J

CN-ORP AA086B808

tender

Cru

Grey Inflatable

J

TBA

tender

Cru

White Fibre Glass hull

J

TBA

tender

Cru

8 ft while aluminium hull

J

TBA

Punt

?

Avon descent aluminium hull

J

851

Surf Ski

?

Avon descent blue F/glass
hull

K-Sailboard Shed (in tender compound)
K381

F2 Starflight Wave

TBA

Sbd

K381

Tyram SEA

TBA

Sbd

K383

270 Carbon sandwich

TBA

Sbd

K383

F2 Fun & Function

TBA

Sbd

K385

Windsurfer 2.9

TBA

Sbd

Short board

K387

Windsurfer One design TBA

Sbd

Old outdated board

K389

Windsurfer One design TBA

Sbd

Old outdated board

K391

Windsurfer One design TBA

Sbd

Old outdated board

K391

Windsurfer One design TBA

Sbd

Old outdated board

K395

F2256 Wave

TBA

Sbd

K396

JP Freestyle

TBA

Sbd

K397

Mistral Synchro

TBA

Sbd

February 2011

Long board

Wave Board

Page 9

Training
New Juniors
Over the summer school holidays the training team has been busy running two junior Get Into Small Boat
Sailing courses, each over a full week of mornings. The Instructors Evelyn Doernberg, Lily Loughman, and
Nickie Jones (helping out from SoPYC) were proud to graduate all 24 sailors at basic skills 1 level, and a number of keen sailors at the basic skills 2 level. Both courses were a great success with all participants keen to
continue sailing in some way. We welcome all junior graduates to continue sailing at NYC either by taking
part in a 6 week transition to racing course in Manly Juniors, Flying 11s and perhaps a couple of 125s, or by
hiring out our pacer training fleet for Sunday Social Sailing events together with their friends and family.

Adult Training
Yet another Adult Get Into Small Boat Sailing course is being run at Basic Skills I and II level over a period of
6 Saturday mornings. Meanwhile graduates of the previous courses are keenly honing their skills in a new
Sunday afternoon racing workshop run by Graham Sharp. Topics have included trimming the sails for different wind conditions, advanced crewing and helming techniques such as tiller extensions and team work, as
well as starting procedures. Having spent the last three weeks practicing, the Pacer sailors are hoping to join in
club racing, sailing the open monohull course at the next possible opportunity.
Look out for this group of keen sailors on a Sunday afternoon, have a chat to them, and make them feel welcome. My tip would be to invite them to crew on your boat, as they now building a good understanding of
what racing is all about.

Junior Section News
Our junior section is growing in numbers, in strength and in confidence. With a mid-morning handicap regatta
commencing on the 6th of February, junior sailors are working on their start preparation, boat speed up and
down wind, and boat handling skills, with spinnaker work next on the coaches’ agenda. At the same time our
dedicated group of parents have been getting their heads around the pulling of flags and sounding of horns that
are part and parcel of running a racing series (a big thank you goes out to our Commodore Juliann for helping
out here). So look out for the results of our junior races on the website and in the next Mainsheet, and hopefully some photo finishes!
With the whole club focusing on the building and supporting of all of it’s racing fleets, our junior sailors have
been thinking ahead and exploring their pathways. Towards the end of last year they traded their Manlys and
Flying 11s in for trapeze harnesses and 125s and had a great morning of joy rides. Junior 125 sailors (14 - 18
yr olds) from South of Perth yacht Club and East Fremantle Yacht Club, as well as ‘senior’ 125 sailors (just
slightly over 18 yrs of age) from those clubs and from NYC were kind
enough to show up in force on one Sunday morning, and give our sailors a taste of speed. They were going so fast in fact, that Coach Graham was struggling to keep up in his little inflatable dinghy - didn’t
stop him trying his hardest though! Almost every junior sailor
stretched out on the wire, and there was excitement in the air and
smiles all round. After a practice run, an off the beach race with prizes
of Mars bars and Coke was conducted, and the morning was rounded
off with a sausage sizzle provided by the Manly Junior Association.
Evelyn Doernberg
For more images go to the photo gallery at www.nyc.org.au
February 2011

Page 10

National 125
Over the 2010/2011 Christmas New Year break the 34th National 125 Australian Championships was held
at the picturesque Esperance Bay Yacht Club. With 5 boats representing NYC, Boogie Nights (Claire
Smallwood/Hayley Gilling), Consuming Passion (Evelyn Doernberg/Rose Murray), Closing Time (David &
Joe Feldman), Chunky Custard (Stephen & Kevin Seaton) and a shiny brand new boat Rage ( Craig Moffitt /
Bess Murray), competition was sure to be exciting!
With two back to back Invitation Races on the first day with winds 18-20 knot SE and a 2.5 metre swell, the
NYC boats (almost all of whom have some ties to Esperance and the local knowledge of the prevailing conditions) raced hard and fast. Most noticeably a 3rd and 4th from Rage and Boogie Nights in the second race.
Could this forecast great things to come or are the interstate guests pacing themselves and playing their cards
close to their chests? Only time would tell…
Race 1: Flashback 3173 1st, What Eva 3183 2nd, Velocity 3128 3rd
Race 2: what Eva 3183 1st, Another Toy 3081 2nd, Rage 3184 3rd.
Heat 1,SSE 14 to 18 knots. The key to these conditions became ever so evident through Victorian boat Green
Out (James Obrien & Nick Major), the newest boat in the fleet (3168), who proved getting a good start off the
line would hold you in good stead and in clear air! This was the key as they headed to the right side of the
course into flatter water and picked shifts well for a big lead at mark 1. Appearing to be sailing a completely
different race Green Out won not only comfortably but convincingly which would lead to the coined phrase
‘drug test them!’.
Heat 2 & 3 Short Course Back to Back races light to moderate SE Breeze 10-14 knots. Again, a good clear
start was vital but also the ability to adapt to the short chop with crews not fully able to trapeze. Green Out
again lead around all marks to notch up bullet number 2. Velocity (Taylor Merrutia/Adam Lockyer), again
consistent with 2nd and Boogie Nights, posting a terrific result after a 2 season absence from sailing taking
3rd. Congratulations also go to Chunky Custard for a 2nd on Consistency. An interesting and novel idea of
conducting Speed Trials saw many green with envy and dollar signs in their eyes, unfortunately no NYC boat
took out the honours.
Heat 4 Abandoned due to 25-30 knot SE with large swell & chop. Disappointment set in for many Esperanceminded sailors although a wise decision by the committee.
Heat 5 was held in a light to moderate NE breeze with flattish water. What a difference a day makes! 1st was
Green Out followed by Strange Magic (Jim & Bianca Scott). Rounding out the top 3 was Velocity 3128
(Taylor & Adam) and also first Junior. The fleet was held ashore for Heat 6 as the North Easterly gave way to
a North Westerly which finally settled as a light to moderate breeze, but the water flatter than the morning.
Once racing commenced many were keen to take the pin end and head to shore which lead to one general recall. In the restart an individual recall signal was made and some boats returned....alas not all. The race developed into a close one with Green Out again leading the way, closely pursued by Black Butt (Bodhi & Kaise
Defreitas). Green Out crossed the line but was not awarded the win as they were OCS at the start. The gun
fired for Blackbutt and the guys could hardly believe it. A popular win by a Junior crew.
Heat 4 Resailed in a 10-15 knot Southwesterly and flat seas, with the results as follows:
1st Green Out 2nd Strange Magic 3rd Velocity
Heats 7 & 8 sailed in a 10-15 knot Southerly and slight chop. Congratulations to Consuming Passion on their
3rd on Consistency in Heat 7.
1st Green Out, 2nd Strange Magic, 3rd Velocity
Results for Heat 8 were a bit different however: 1st Green Out, 2nd Blackbutt, 3rd Another Toy (Kevin
Robson/Kieran Rogers)
February 2011

Page 11

National 125 Cont.
A special mention to Limited Edition (David & Lisa Rooke) for coming in 5th in this heat, a great result for a
ply hull that has been around WA for many years.
Heat 9 began in a gentle hot warm Northerly breeze but with thunderstorms forecast for later in the day anything was possible. Green Out rested Nick for the day and raced with a different crew... still leading to mark 1,
closely followed by Strange Magic. Halfway down the first reach things started to happen. A large gust swept
the mid fleet boats down at great speed whilst the leaders struggled to round the gybe mark. Green Out wiped
out...thus ending their day early. Places then settled for the remainder of the race with Strange Magic covering
a group of boats which included Boogie Nights. Another large surge in the breeze had this group struggle to
lay the gybe mark on triangle two. Up the final beat Strange Magic maintained their cover to take the gun. The
real excitement was in the race for 2nd & 3rd where 4 boats battled some wild swings in direction and strength
as the approaching thunderstorm loomed. Flashback (Andrew Tailor/Alex Thomson) managed to just squeak
home for second place, which had a dramatic effect on the final placings overall, from Boogie Nights who
demonstrated all their light air skills from two seasons ago. To end the day, as boats reached the shore a huge
gust and sand storm lashed the rigging area, the temperature soared to 42 degrees, followed by a torrential
downpour for the presentation eveningâ&#x20AC;Ś a spectacular day.
Craig Moffitt

Due to lack of space the other photos will be put on the website, so check out the photo gallery at
www.nyc.org.au
Editor

February 2011

Page 12

Cruiser Scribbles
Racing round-up
The weather seems to have settled after some early season blows and the start boat crew have been kept busy
adjudicating some close fought starts in the Division 3/4 as well as Division 2 fleets. Among the quicks, Once
upon a time has had a series of fairy tale performances in handicap results through December and January.
Many observers have been Blown Away with some strong handicap performances over this period which
many regard as being Beyond Belief!
From time to time, Pretty Woman has been stalked by Medicine Man but by and large a good attention span
has been rewarded through Child’s Play for fastest.
Among Division 3/4, the smart money is watching So Journ’s corrected times while Fortuna and Osprey
have been battling it out on the waves, being continually distracted by a frenzied performance from one Silver
Gull. Lunchtime cruiser sailors are being asked not to feed the latent talent of our gull wing expert as encouragement will surely have it coming back for more. Speaking of handicaps, we notice that Bobby Dazzler is
eagerly awaiting the return of her forward hand so that the spinnaker can once again come out of the basket.
Garden Island cruise in company
Late November was memorable for several of us who took time out to run down river for the trip to Garden
Island. While all options were exercised including day trippers on Saturday and Sunday, most of our dedicated fleet stayed over night and enjoyed the social interaction of an evening on the water.
As occasionally can happen, Rascall II encountered turbulence from a large powerboat at the bridges and
damaged its mast step but was able to complete the weekend largely as planned. Proving small is beautiful,
David was able to sail Bull’s Eye under the bridges after lining up his Hartley 18 with a few preparatory approaches and making doubly sure by taking the highest clearance and sailing down the up-river span. Not content with this achievement, we managed to stir him up with accounts of rising tides and mast heights. He enjoyed the picnic barbecue and then completed his day trip return very successfully. Fortuna and Beats
Working were among the early arrivals at Pig Trough Bay which was otherwise pretty quiet. Behind the
beach the picnic area was quickly vacated by a worried looking family on the arrival of the NYC landing
“party” ably led by Pirate Pete. Pete had solo sailed his ferrous-cement yacht up from Mandurah over-night
and simultaneously officially welcomed NYC boats and christened their arrival with a supply of dark ale.
Witch Addiction just made the Saturday picnic lunch’s second sitting after a relaxed start then a return to Fremantle harbour to collect a wayward tender, one of several whose painters apparently disobey the laws of friction. Greg Hill had a refreshing swim later that afternoon to recover another that escaped his detention. The
afternoon rising tide helped Truant depart its temporary and slightly too shallow anchorage at the northern
end of Pig Trough Bay in preference for a deep mooring to the south of the bay, with the rest of the fleet
“stayers”. Juliann hosted an evening gathering aboard Little Itch during which time Karen quickly got her sea
legs, managing the next morning’s chop with remarkable resilience.
The building easterly chop that built through Saturday night meant rough and relatively sleepless conditions
aboard the smaller boats. Making landfall again on the island on Sunday morning was a welcome relief with
breakfast and a walk along the fire trail across the island to Herring Bay. Beyond Belief and Rio joined the
lazy lunchtime fraternity on Sunday and by pack-up time the seabreeze had come in, encouraging a timely return to Fremantle in the afternoon.
Our thanks go to Fremantle SC, Hillarys YC and Cockburn Power Boat Club for making club moorings available for exclusive use of NYC cruisers on this weekend. Thanks also to Peter Heydenrych and Rob Loughman
February 2011

Page 13

Cruiser Scribbles Cont.
for co-ordination and planning and to all sailors who undertook due preparation and completed the cruise
safely.
Code Flag “Y” and Personal Flotation Devices (PFDs)
Regatta Committee will soon be considering recommendations from the Cruiser section to establish protocols
for cruiser use of personal flotation devices during club races. Off the beach sailing classes including dinghies
and cats are required by Yachting Australia to use PFD2s at all times. Following two crew overboard situations involving club cruisers this season, Regatta will consider amendments to the Sailing Instructions to recommend the use of PFD2 or 1 devices by all crews routinely, consider mandatory use by casual crews but in
specific conditions for all crew as deemed necessary by the Officer of the Day or Race Committee or in accordance with the relevant sailing instructions. The requirement for all crew to use an approved PFD is indicated
by the display of Code Flag “Y” which means “Wear a personal flotation device”. Typically river clubs require the Y flag to be flown at wind speeds above 20 knots. Follow the discussion forum through Peter’s
email chain (nyc.crusiers@gmail.com). If you want to join the trend setters, contact Peter Heydenrych to join
a bulk purchase order.
Cruiser queries?
If you have any questions regarding the cruiser section, please contact one of our current cruiser reps directly
or via Peter Heydenrych on nyc.cruisers@gmail.com
Captain

Greg Hill

Secretary

Peter Heydenrych

Treasurer

Brian Pearcey

Regatta Rep

Barrie Dimond

Mainsheet Scribe

Rob Loughman

Safety

Jim Marriott

Storage

Ray North

Training

Mike Fitzgerald

Handicapper

Fred Gibson

Grounds Rep

John Collier

Environmental Rep

David Cliff

Robert Loughman
Garden Island Weekend

To see the latest statistics for the season to 16th Jan 2011, visit www.nyc.org.au and go to the cruiser results
on the weekly results menu or type in the following address
http://www.nyc.org.au/Download-document/182-Cruisers-Statistics-to-110116.html

February 2011

Page 14

Open Cats
Brett Burvill and Ryan Duffield won the Tornado Nationals in Victoria, Sorrento and Joshua Fugill finished
2nd with his Vic skipper Lachlan Gibson.
Brett and Ryan finished 7th at the f18 Nationals and Josh finished 11th. Josh was in 4th position going into
the last day but broke a spinnaker pole in the first race and had to retire from the next 3 pushing their results
way back. The newly designed windrush edge f18 boats performed very well against the other f18 classes,
especially downwind. Both boats getting race wins and seconds.
Below is an article about Ryan Duffield written by Shauna McGee Kinney for Sail World.
Ryan Duffield is among the top catamaran
athletes in Australia and working his way up
among international sailing competitors. He
takes a look at his sailing career and the international catamaran classes.

In February 2007, Ryan’s sailing career took
off quickly. He crewed for Gary Gornall at
the Seawind Formula 18 Worlds in Yeppoon,
Queensland – Australia. In combination with
entering international competition, Ryan
celebrated his 23rd birthday at the Yeppoon
event. A month later, Ryan was crewing for
Brett Burvill at the SWG Tornado Australian
National Championships. After his first day
of Tornado racing, Ryan and Brett knew they
had an incredible team.

Brett and Ryan actively race internationally in several catamaran classes including the Tornado and the Formula 18 catamaran. As a boat builder and owner of Windrush Yachts in Western Australia, Brett modified and
built a Tornado, and a year later a Formula 18, to meet the technical features he wanted while racing.
This past year, Ryan and Brett competed overseas at several European National Championships including the
Tornado Worlds and F18 Worlds. In June 2010, their European campaign started out strong with a fifth out of
71 Class 1 cats at the Dutch Texel Regatta. They sailed a new Formula 18 – the Windrush EDGE in heavy
wind. The new design performed well with good control and speed in the brisk conditions.
Early in July 2010, the wind was light and swell was sizable at the F18 Worlds at Caroual Beach – France
venue. This was the first time the team was sailing a major competition with their new F18 – the Windrush
EDGE. Ryan admitted the difficulty wasn’t only the boat, their team had never sailed in light-and-lumpy. They
found it hard to get the boat going. Later in July at the Tornado Worlds in Travemünde Lübeck, Germany
Brett and Ryan placed fourth out of 51 Tornados.
It All Started in Carnarvon
Ryan started sailing at the age of 12 in Carnarvon, Western Australia. Carnarvon is located about halfway up

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Open Cats
the ‘left coast’ of Australia where the ocean waters are famous for sea life. His first sailing experience was
crewing on a 10 foot Arafura Cadet catamaran. Soon after the Arafura Cadet, he switched to the Windrush 14
class, a popular family-oriented catamaran with over 20 boats racing regularly. Ryan’s childhood sailing
memories include ‘lots of capsizes’ and ‘enjoying it’, though he seems to remember the Carnarvon water was
cold back then (the ocean water temperature can range from 18 – 28 C / 64 – 82 F.)
In addition to overseas and national competition on the spinnaker cats, Ryan continues to race the Windrush
14 in Western Australia in the ‘super-sloop’ configuration – single-handed with a trapeze and jib. He points
out that the Windrush 14 is a great starter boat with the ‘sloop-rig’ – double-handed with jib and no trapeze,
and the ‘cat-rig’ – single-handed with a trapeze and no jib.
Bigger, Better and Stronger
Ryan admits that catamaran technology has helped promote catamaran sailing as a sport. While the cost of extreme designs like the America’s Cup and ocean record-setting multihulls is too expensive for most sailors, the
technology developed at the extreme level is passed down to the more numerous small, sport catamarans.
Ryan noted that the Tornado, the former Olympic-class catamaran, has kept up with technology by changing
out the aluminum mast with a carbon mast. The Tornado’s carbon masts have proven to be more durable than
the aluminum masts. The older masts were prone to folding when overloaded and even breaking in severe
pitchpoles. Ryan laughed, ‘The carbon masts can take on some pretty ugly shapes when the boat is hit by a
gust, but that ugly shape seems to spill off the excess wind – a kind of self-exhausting feature.’
In contrast, the Formula 18 class rule requires an aluminum mast. Technology from the bigger wing sails has
been passed down to create a narrower extrusion of aluminum in the masts that is now seen in most competitive F18 boats. The control and understanding of the diamond tension, spreader rake and overall shape of the
masts has gotten better thanks to the development high-technology catamarans.
More is Better
As for getting more people into catamaran sailing, a non-sailor might look at all the classes of boats and think
there are too many options. The numerous choices have split the competitors into multiple classes. Ryan countered this criticism, with the the fact that there were 160 boats at the Formula 18 Worlds. Likewise, in the Tornado class, sailors find the level of competition rewarding and like the smooth boat performance. Even with
these preferences, many of the top catamaran sailors enjoy competing on multiple boats and don’t limit themselves to one design.
In getting more athletes sailing catamarans, Ryan points out that some classes of boats are cheaper. For example in the spinnaker classes, the Formula 18 is a little less expensive than the Tornado and has gained dominance by having a larger number of manufacturers competing in the market. The Formula 18 class has also
enjoyed a large number of loyal regatta sponsors that help keep the cost of major events down.
For new and experienced teams, there is a lot of value to competing at a regatta with 50 to 60 boats in a start.
The mass competition improves sailing skills, even when the sailors aren’t yet ‘one of the big guys’. The big
regattas are a great way for developing sailors to push their skills to the next level.

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Open Cats
Being Seen
Spectators are missing from the sport of sailing. While in Europe, Ryan and Brett were part of one of the best
spectator events for sailing. The Travemuende Speedsailing (in the Trave River – Germany) was a race held
on a narrow waterway. There were food and retail stalls along the river’s edge. Over 40,000 spectators could
easily see the boats, the sailors and the action from along the shore. Ryan and Brett enjoyed hearing the crowd
cheering for them and could see the spectators faces as their Tornado sped through the river.
Roland Gaebler led the development of the Speedsailing event. The format consisted of three to five minute
races. The course was about 400 m / 440 yards long and 80 – 100 m / 87 – 100 yards wide. There were eight
boats per heat and two heats. A commentator kept the crowd informed on the progress of the race and the
spectators were wowed by the occasional capsize. The top three boats were pulled out of the water for the
spectators to admire. (http://www.speedsailing.org/arena-concept/)
In the coming year, Ryan and Brett are eager to see the Extreme 40 and the AC 33 series heat up the competition and stir up more excitement. They are even hoping to develop a similar arena event in Perth near the Barrack Street Jetty.
The Bust is Over, the Boom is On
Ryan is optimistic that the renewed interest in multihulls is benefiting catamaran sailing at all levels. He sees
that boat technology and large international spectator events are helping renew interest in the sport, especially
after the disappointment and confusion that followed the loss of the Tornado as an Olympic sailing event.
Ryan is enthusiastic to see his career grow and to see an increase in the number of competitors joining him on
the water both locally in Australia and overseas.
Look for Ryan and Brett on the F18 and Tornado in their 2011 European campaign.
Reprint of Looking at the Reemerging Catamaran Classes. Original article was published 18 Dec 2010. http://
www.sail-world.com/Australia/Looking-at-the-Reemerging-Catamaran-Classes/78221 Redistributed with permission from Sail-World / Tetra Media.

Coffs Harbour NSW to Dunalley Tasmania
Recently I was asked by a good friend, Dougal, to help him and his dad, Ron, sail a yacht they had bought in
Qld to its new home in Tasmania. I was really keen to do the trip as I had been looking to get some more passage making experience. The boat, Serenus, a Cape Dory 33 foot full keel cruising sloop had just been sailed
to Qld from Canada, it had furling head sail, main with 3 reefing points, a Voyager windvane and Raymarine
wheel pilot, VHF and HF radios and all the necessary safety equipment.
The plan was to meet Ron in Coffs Harbour on the 11th November. The forecast for our departure was all we
could have hoped for with 4 days of 20 – 30 knot Northerly winds on a 2.5 – 3 metre swell. The idea was to
sail out about 20 miles to pick up the East Coast current that we had heard was moving at 4 knots in places.
For the first 24 hours the wind blew a consistent 25 - 30 knots on a relatively large swell. We hand steered all
day and through the night as we hadn’t yet worked out how to get the Windvane to steer on course and the
wheel pilot was telling us it needed to be calibrated. Although tiring this was the best 24-hour run of the trip,
we covered 160 miles averaging 7 knots. Being in the current also meant we were in the shipping channel and
we carefully watched 5 freighters and 1 cruise ship pass.
The passage from Kiama to Bateman’s Bay and then onto Eden went without incident. The crew worked hard
sailing in the rain into a light South Wester.
We spent 2 nights tied alongside the fishing boat jetty in Eden surrounded by various cruising yachts planning
a variety of passages and voyages. Our options for crossing the strait were to follow the Victorian coast then
head south via Flinders, Cape Barren and Clarke Islands or go in a straight line from Eden. The forecast charts
showed more favourable winds to the East so we opted for the straight-line approach. It took 4 days averaging
about 100 miles over 24 hours. We had winds 0 – 20 knots from all directions, we motored for 4 hours one
night in a dense sea fog and we were very pleased to reach Dunalley on the 23rd of November.

My most memorable moments of the trip included, having dolphins off the bow on numerous occasions, catching a big Albacore Tuna, being becalmed and swimming in Bass Strait, climbing into bed after night watch,
breaking the goose neck, the many sea birds and amazing Albatross, climbing the mast to free the main halyard, having to strap yourself to the oven in order to cook, reefing at night in the rain, being part of a great adventure with good friends.

Kent Isaacson

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THE FINAL DEADLINE
As from this years Annual General Meeting the
current editors of Mainsheet will be resigning.
Anyone interested in taking on this rewarding task
should advise the Managing Secretary as soon as
possible.
The editor is required to chase up articles from the
section scribes and anyone else who contributes,
and to encourage other members to contribute.
Articles need to be edited for the usual spelling and
grammar and to remove anything untoward.
With modern technology the editor is now required
not only to edit but to compile the magazine. We
have been using Microsoft Publisher for this task
and will of course assist anyone taking over.
It helps if you are computer literate, difficult if you
are not, believe me.
Looking forward to the rush of applicants.
February 2011